Circular loom



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- J. 8. WILSON CIRCULAR LOOM Filed Sept. 20. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I jmemcz w: Jam mes S2 wzfi apm,

@cit. 23 H923. HAWZ QEQ .J. 5. WILSON CIRCULAR LOOM J. S. WHLSON CIRCULAR LO 0M FiledSept. 20. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 \L nil-i V I (Ed. 23, 1923. 11,472,2

J. 5. WILSON CIRCULAR LOOM Fil ed Sept. 20. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lmvwma Mama 8; waxzgcwm,

l etented @ct. 23, 1923.

JAMES S. WILSON, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS; EMMA. 1J1". WILSON EXECUTRIX OF SAID JAMES S. WILSON, DECEASED.

CIRCULAR LOOM.

Application filed. September 20, 1921. Serial No. 501,997.

To all whomz'l may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES S. Vi mson,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chelsea, in the county ofv Suffolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented an improvement in Circular Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is

a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to circular looms, and more particularly to those employed for weaving textile covering for electrical insulating conduits, rubber hose, and similar articles.

As to certain of its features the present invention is an improvement on the machine illustrated and described in the patent to C. (l. Berg, No. 1,000,576, patented August 15, 1911.

The invention and its aims and objects will be clearly understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of one illustrative embodiment of the invention, the invention in its true scope being set forth in the accompanying claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a loom for weaving tubular fabric embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of the machine including the shuttles and the shuttle race, together with driving mechanism for the shuttles and the warp threads radiating from the point of weaving;

Fig. 3 is a top edge view of the shuttle race and of one of the shuttles;

Fig. 4 is a top edge view of the adjacent ends of two shuttles and a shuttle driving member;

Fig, 5 is a cross section on line of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of feeding means by which the woven fabric is drawn from the machine;

'Fi 7 is a detail of the rotary mandrel which operates within the woven fabric at the weaving point, together with the driving mechanism for said mandrel.

The invention is herein shown as embodied in the loom of Patent No. 1,000,576 above referred to. and for the sake of brevity only so much of the loom of said patent will be herein described as is deemed necessary to the understanding of the present inven tion; for adetailed description of the parts of said machine not herein fully described reference is made to the patent above referred to.

Referring first to Fig. 1, a base i indicated at 10-and supports a frame 11 in which the various parts and mechanisms hereinafter described are mounted. A central sleeve 12 (see Fig. 5) is afiixed in the frame 11 and extends from front to rear. A ring or form 13 is affixed at the forward end of the sleeve 12 and is formed with an aperture 1 1 into which the warp thread 15 are introduced. The fabric is woven in tubular form as hereinafter described, against the inner face of the ring 13 which therefore determines the diameter of the work. Iii-practice, a plurality of rings 13 having apertures of various sizes are provided with the machine and any one of the rings may be attached in the position shown by Fig. 5, to adapt the machine to the particular size of work required.

As the weaving operation progresses, the work is drawn through the sleeve 12 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 5 by suitable feeding mechanism arranged at the rear of the machine as shown by Fig. 1 and heroin after described. The frame 11 is provided with a plurality of stationary arms 16 which project forwardly and which support a ring 17 in which aremounted a plurality of spindles 18 which support the warp bobbins 19. The spindles 18 are arranged in a circle and their threads 1'5 are extended radially to ward the ring 13 as hereinbefore explained. Each bobbin 19 is provided with a tension plate 20 and the plates are affixed upon arms 21 which are pivotally mounted upon spindles 22. Helical springs 23 are coiled about the spindles and engaged with the arms 21 in such manner as to exert their tension to hold the plates 20 against the bob bins.

ii ithin the ring 17 and approximately in the same vertical plane is another ring indicated at 2 1 in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive. The ring 2% is formed with an external groove 23 and an internal groove 26. said grooves constituting a shuttle race, The ring is tationary and is supportec by a plurality of spokes 27 which extend radiallyfrom a hub 28. The hub is mounted upon a sleeve 12 as shown by Fig. 5 and may be connected with the-sleeve by screw threads 29. In the form shown by the drawings, the ring 24:, the hub 28 and the spokes 27 are formed as a single casting andin addition to these mcnrbel's, there is an inner ring 30 which is here by Fig. 3 and comprises the pointed frame 32 which is arranged outside the shuttle race but in the vertical plane thereot. The

' frame 32 is formed with ears 32 which are affixed to a segmental shoe 25 arranged in the groove 25 of the shuttle race. The shoe 25* is connected to a shoe 2o whichis like wise segmental and which is arranged in the groove 26 of the shuttle race. The two shoes 25' and 26 are connected by a. radial arm 33 of the shuttle and by straps 34. The radial portion 33 and the straps 34: are permanently afiixed to the shoe 25 but are adjustably connected to the shoe 26 by means of bolts 35 which extend through elongated slots 36 (Fig. 2) in the part 33 and in the straps. The straps are formed with cars 34: (see Fig. 5) which are bored and adaptedto receive adjusting screws 37 which bear against the shoe 26 and which are therefore adapted to adjust the shoe to the desired position to fit the shuttle race.

Each of the shuttles is provided with a roll 38 at its rear end and with a roll '39 at its forward end. The shuttles are driven individually by wheels 40 of which there is one wheel for'each shuttle, said wheels being affixed upon radial shafts 4:1 mounted in bearings 42, carried by arms or spokes which are all connected rigidly together and mounted to rotate upon the central sleeve 12 (Fig. 5). A beveled gear 44 (Fig. 1) is afiixed tothe spokes 4:3 and may be driven by a beveled gear 45 on a power shaft l6. ln this way, the wheels 40, together with their shafts and bearings, are rotated bodily about the central sleeve 12 and the shafts 41 are otherwise rotated about their individual axes. For this purpose. the inner end of eachshaft tl is provided with the beveled gear 47 and the hub 28 is provided with a beveled gear 48 which is fixed and intermeshes with all of the drives the shuttle inadvance and prevents the succeeding shuttle from racing ahead of its driving wheel 40. The wheels 4L0 in as well as the number of shuttles and the number of ears 50, may be varied according to the requirements of the desired... fabric and it is therefore unnecessary to define their particular number in this case. The ears 50 are so arranged as to engage alternate warp threads and to thereby displace those warp threads from their normal posi tion; r V

Referring to Figs. 3and at itwill be seen that the nose of the shuttle is approximately in the vertical plane of the front face of the ring 241: and that the slots 2& (Fig. 2) extend comparatively deep in the ring. The normal position of the warp threads is at the base of the slots, or in other words, at the rear of the nose of the shuttle. As the wheels 40 move around the race the alternatewarp threads engaged by the cars 50, are moved into a vertical plane-at the front the vertical plane of thenose of the shuttle and the shed of the warp is thereby opened. The shed is further opened by the frame 32 of the: shuttle'as the nose of the shuttle advances between the separated warp threads. By referenceto Figs. 3, 4t and 5 it will be observed that the frame 32 is in the vertical plane of the shuttle race and that a shuttle bobbin 52 is supported by the shuttle in thefvertical' plane of the race and between the front and rear bars of the frame 32. I j 1 The means here shown for supporting the bobbin 52 comprises a spindle 53 adapted to be passed through the cop of the'bobbin.

The spindle may be provided with a. head at one end and may be pointed at the other end as shown by Fig. The shuttle frame 32 is formed with cross bars 55-which are adapted to receive the spindle and between which the bobbin 52 is arranged.

Fig. shows a spring device adapted to} lock the spindle 54C. in the shuttle. Said device comprises a pair of spring arms 56 formed by a member which is affixed by a Screw 57 to the rear end of the frame 32. The spring arms are formed with crooks which are adapted to snap into a groove 59. formed in the spindle 53 near the pointed end thereof. The spring arms are therefore adapted to; prevent longi- 'tudinal movement and displacement of the spindlebut they maybe readily separated to permit removal ofthe spindle. By re'a son of supporting the shuttle bobbin in the manner described. the bobbin is carried about theshuttle race in the planeof the normal position oft-he warp-and the dis placement of the warp necessary to form the shed is thereby reduced to a minimum.

The shuttle is provided with any suitable tension device for the thread, preferably with the tension device described in the patent above referred to. For a full description of said tension device reference is made to said patent.

The power shaft 46 carries a driving pulley 75, loosely mountedupon the shaft and equipped with a clutch of any desired form and construction, indicated as a whole at 76. Means are also provided for operating the clutch, to start and stop the machine. This mechanism and the clutch may be of any suitable construction and will preferably be of the construction shown in the patent above referred to, to which reference is made for a detailed description thereof.

The fabric is drawn through the central sleeve 12 by the feeding mechanism shown by Figs. 1 and 6. Said mechanism is mounted in a frame 100 at the rear of the machine and comprises two rolls 101 affixed upon shafts 102 journaled in the frame 100. Each of the rolls 101 is provided with toothed disks 103 adapted to engage the tubular fabric 104: and the fabric may be passed over the rolls in the manner shown by Fig. 1, and out of the machine The rolls are provided with intermeshing gears 105 by which, they are caused to revolve in unison, and one of the shafts 102 is provided with a beveled gear 106 which'is driven by a gear 107. The gear 107 is affixed at one end of the shaft 108 mounted in bearings 109 on the.

frame. At the other end of the shaft is a worm gear 110 which intermeshes with a worm 111 on a transverse shaft 112. The shaft 112 is also mounted in bearings in the frame and is provided with a sprocket 113 connected to a sprocket 114: by a chain 115. The sprocket 114 is affixed on the shaft 46 and therefore drives the feed rolls Whenever the clutch 7 6 is operatively engaged. As shown by Fig. 1, the bearings for one of the shafts 102 consist of sliding blocks 116, mounted to slide in slots 117 in the frame 100. Springs 118 are provided for forcing the blocks 11.6 toward the adjacent roll for the purpose of causing the coo )erative rolls to engage the fabric 104 with yielding teusion.

Heretofore it has been diflicult if not impossible lo secure an cvcuweaving of the tubular fabric; the tubular fabric upon one side being usually more tightly woven than upon the other. From a careful study of the machines heretofore used and of their operation, l. have discovered that this is apparently due to the fact that the circular shuttle race is situated in a vertical plane, so that tion between the shuttle and its driving means there is thus av tendency for the shuttle to lag in its upward movement at one side of the race and to accelerate this movement in its descent at the other side, the tension of the shuttle thread thus being unequal at opposite sides of the tubular fabric. In accordance with the present invention I remedy this defect by locating the circular shuttle race in a plane inclined to the verticaland preferably at an angle of 45 thereto. An even weaving of the fabric is thus secured apparently owing to the fact that the shuttle receives greater support from the race so that its speed of travel is more uniform throughout its circular path.

While it would be quite feasible to incline the shuttle race at the desired angle to the vertical, preferably 45, this might require a considerable reorganization of varions parts of the machine, and in order to secure the desired inclination of the shuttle race I therefore preferably incline the whole head of the machine at the desired angle, as illustrated in Fig. 1. In this way, all the various mechanisms retain the relative positions that they had in the machine of the patent above referred to and no reorganization thereof is required.

It will be seen also that by the inclination of the shuttle race on the head, the accessibility of the operative parts of the machine is preserved, the same as if the race were vertical, the operator being able to reach them from his position in front of the machine, without having to walk around the machine for that purpose.

In the manufacture of tubular fabrics on circular looms of the type as heretofore used, there is a tendency for the tubular fabric or hose to twist at the point of the weaving, due apparently to the angular traction exerted upon the fabric by the shuttle thread, as the shuttle revolves in its circular race.

The present invention contemplates the provision of means to prevent such twisting of the fabric. Said means may be of any suitable construction and herein comprises a mandrel 120 which penetrates the work at the point of weaving substantially as shown in Fig. 7. The peripheral wall of this mandrel is in contact with the inner wall of the tubular fabric. and by causing said mandrel to rotate in the opposite direction. to that of the rotation of the shuttle, such rotation of the mandrel by the Contact of the latter with the inner walls of the tubular fabric will counteract the twisting action exerted by the shuttle thread upon the tubular fabric. Herein the mandrel has secured thereto a mitre gear 122 having its hub journaled in a bearing 124 secured at 126 to the frame of the machine. The mitre gear 122 meshes with a mitre gear 128 upon a shaft 130, journaled in bearings 132, 132

i &

on the frame and having at its opposite end another mitre gear 134 meshing with a mitre gear 136 upon one end of a shaft 138. This shaft is herein journaled in bearings 1&0 on the frame, and adjacent its other end is provided witha belt pulley 1 12 driven by a belt 144: passing over asimilar pulley 146 on the shaft 112. By the mechanism described the mandrel 120 will be rotated at the required speed in theopposite direction details may be variously modified within the true scope of the invention Which'is definitely set forth by the claims.

Claims: r

1; A circular loom for weaving tubular fabric comprising, in combination, a circular shuttle guide ring supported in a plane at an angle of approximately 45' degrees to the vertical, whereby to avoid undue ac eelerationof moving parts thereon to produce a substantially uniform fabric; a support for Warp bobbins arranged approxi- 'matelyparallelto said guide ring, whereby torender the parts accessible from one side of the machine; a plurality of shuttles slidably mounted for rotation on said guide ring; and means to impart motion to said shuttles. V c

2. A circular loom for weaving tubular fabric comprising, in combination, a fixed shuttle guide ring supported in a plane at an angle of approximately forty'five degrees to the vertical, whereby to avoid undue acceleration or moving parts thereon to maintain a substantially. uniform tension -in the shuttle threads and to render themaccessible from one side of the machine; a plurality of shuttles rotatablymounted on said guide ring; vanda Weaving surface so arranged that the fell of the fabric formed thereon is substantially parallel to said guide ring. a x i V 3. A, loom for weaving tubular fabric comprising, in combination, a stationary shuttle guide ring supported in a plane iIl-:

clined to the. vertical atjsuch. an-angle as to avoid undue accelerationvof the shuttles thereon and to'render them, as well as all of the shuttleithreads,accessible from one,

name to this specification. 7

JAMES s. W1LSON. 

